Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 25
There he found Grandfather Frog setting on his big green lily-pad, just as usual.
そこで彼は、いつものように、おじいさんカエルが大きな緑の睡蓮の葉の上に座っているのを見つけました。
"If you please, Grandfather Frog, why does Reddy Fox wear a red coat?" panted Peter, quite out of breath.
「お願いします、おじいさんカエル、どうしてレディ・フォックスは赤い上着を着ているのですか？」と、ピーターはすっかり息を切らしながら、はあはあと言いました。
"Chug-a-rum!" grunted Grandfather Frog crossly. "Don't you know that it is very impolite to disturb people when they are having a nap?"
「チャグ・ア・ラム！」とおじいさんカエルは不機嫌にうなりました。「人がうたた寝をしているときに邪魔をするのは、とても失礼なことだと知らないのか？」
"I--I'm very sorry. Indeed I am, Grandfather Frog," said Peter very humbly. "Will you tell me if I come again some time when you are not so sleepy?"
「わ、わたしはとても申し訳なく思っています。本当にそう思っています、おじいさんカエル」とピーターはとても謙虚に言いました。「あなたがそれほど眠くないときにまた来たら、話してくれますか？」
Now, like everybody else, Grandfather Frog is rather fond of Peter Rabbit, and now Peter looked so truly sorry, and at the same time there was such a look of disappointment in Peter's eyes, that Grandfather Frog forgot all about his crossness.
さて、みんなと同じように、おじいさんカエルはピーター・ラビットのことがかなり好きでした。そしてピーターは本当に申し訳なさそうな顔をしていて、同時にピーターの目にはとても残念そうな表情があったので、おじいさんカエルは自分の不機嫌をすっかり忘れてしまいました。
"Chug-a-rum!" said he. "You and your questions are a nuisance, Peter Rabbit, and I may as well get rid of you now as to have you keep coming down here and pestering me to death.
「チャグ・ア・ラム！」と彼は言いました。「おまえとおまえの質問はやっかいものだ、ピーター・ラビット。おまえがここにやって来ては私をしつこく困らせ続けるくらいなら、今おまえをすっきり追い払った方がましだ。
Besides, any one who has to keep such a sharp watch for Reddy Fox as you do ought to know why he wears a red coat.
それに、おまえのようにレディ・フォックスをそれほど鋭く見張り続けなければならない者は、なぜ彼が赤い上着を着ているのかを知っておくべきだ。
If you'll promise to sit perfectly still and ask no foolish questions, I'll tell you the story."
もし完全にじっと座って、馬鹿げた質問をしないと約束するなら、話を聞かせてあげよう。」
Of course Peter promised, and settled himself comfortably to listen.
もちろんピーターは約束し、快適に腰を落ち着けて聞く準備をしました。
And this is the story that Grandfather Frog told:
そして、これがおじいさんカエルが語った話です。
"A long time ago, when the world was young, old Mr.
「ずっと昔、世界がまだ若かったころ、年老いたミスター・
Vocabulary
- そこで
- sokode — And so; thereupon; at that point in time
- 彼
- kare — He; him; that person (male)
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle indicating the subject
- いつも
- itsumo — Always; usually; all the time
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle
- よう
- you — Seeming like; in the manner of
- に
- ni — Direction, location, or purpose particle
- おじいさん
- ojiisan — Grandfather; old man; elderly gentleman
- カエル
- kaeru — Frog; any amphibian of order Anura
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle; but; however
- 大きな
- ookina — Large; big; of considerable size
- 緑
- midori — Green; the color green
- 睡蓮
- suiren — Water lily; aquatic flowering plant
- 葉
- ha — Leaf; foliage of a plant
- 上
- ue — Above; on top of; upper position
- 座っ
- suwat(te) — Sitting; to be seated (conjunctive form)
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting actions or states
- いる
- iru — To exist; to be (animate beings)
- を
- wo — Direct object marker particle
- 見つけ
- mitsuke — To find; to discover; to spot something
- まし
- mashi — Polite verb auxiliary (past polite form)
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb
- お願い
- onegai — Please; a request; favor asked
- し
- shi — Do; conjunctive form of suru
- ます
- masu — Polite verb ending for present/future tense
- どう
- dou — How; in what way; how about
- レディ
- redi — Lady; polite address for a woman
- フォックス
- fokkusu — Fox; the animal or surname Fox
- 赤い
- akai — Red; having a red color
- 上着
- uwagi — Jacket; outer garment; coat worn on top
- 着
- ki(ru) — To wear; to put on clothing
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning 'is' or 'am'
- か
- ka — Question marker particle at sentence end
- と
- to — Quotation particle; and; with
- すっかり
- sukkari — Completely; entirely; thoroughly; all the way
- 息
- iki — Breath; breathing; respiration
- 切らし
- kirashi — To run out of; to exhaust (breath, etc.)
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneously performing two actions
- はあはあ
- haahaa — Panting; gasping; sound of heavy breathing
- 言い
- ii — Saying; to say (conjunctive form)
- 不機嫌
- fuкigen — Bad mood; displeasure; sulky disposition
- うなり
- unari — Growl; groan; rumbling sound
- 人
- hito — Person; human being; individual
- うたた寝
- utatane — Napping; dozing off unintentionally
- とき
- toki — Time; moment; when something occurs
- 邪魔
- jama — Nuisance; interruption; getting in the way
- する
- suru — To do; to perform an action
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; quite; really
- 失礼
- shitsurei — Rude; impolite; discourteous behavior
- な
- na — Adjectival ending or sentence-final particle
- こと
- koto — Thing; matter; fact; abstract noun
- だ
- da — Plain form copula; informal 'is/am/are'
- 知ら
- shira — To know; to be aware (negative base)
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; not; does not exist
- わ
- wa — Sentence-final particle expressing assertion (feminine)
- わたし
- watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun
- 申し訳
- moushiwake — Apology; excuse; justification for one's actions
- なく
- naku — Without; not having; adverb form of nai
- 思っ
- omot(te) — Thinking; feeling; to feel/think (conjunctive)
- い
- i — Verb ending or abbreviated form of iru
- 本当
- hontou — Really; truly; in truth; genuine
- そう
- sou — So; that way; like that; indeed
- 謙虚
- kenkyo — Humble; modest; unassuming in attitude
- あなた
- anata — You; second-person singular pronoun
- それほど
- sorehodo — To that extent; that much; so very
- 眠く
- nemuku — Sleepy; drowsy (adverbial form)
- また
- mata — Again; also; furthermore; once more
- 来
- ki(te) — Come; to arrive; to visit
- たら
- tara — If; when; conditional verb ending
- 話し
- hanashi — Talk; story; conversation; to speak
- くれ
- kure — Give me; please do (request form)
- さて
- sate — Well then; now; transitional discourse marker
- みんな
- minna — Everyone; all; everybody together
- 同じ
- onaji — Same; identical; equal; alike
- ラビット
- rabitto — Rabbit; a small burrowing mammal (loanword)
- かなり
- kanari — Fairly; considerably; quite; rather
- 好き
- suki — Like; fond of; to have affection for
- でし
- deshi — Polite past auxiliary (stem before た)
- そして
- soshite — And then; and; after that
- なさ
- nasa — Lacking; absence of a quality
- 顔
- kao — Face; facial expression; countenance
- いて
- ite — Being; existing (conjunctive form of iru)
- 同時
- douji — Simultaneously; at the same time
- 目
- me — Eye; eyesight; gaze
- 残念
- zannen — Regrettable; disappointing; too bad
- 表情
- hyoujo — Facial expression; look on one's face
- あっ
- a(tt)e — Oh! Ah! Expression of sudden realization
- ので
- node — Because; since; due to the fact that
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self; myself
- 忘れ
- wasure — To forget; to fail to remember
- しまい
- shimai — Ending up; finishing; regrettable completion
- おまえ
- omae — You; informal/rough second-person pronoun
- 質問
- shitsumon — Question; inquiry; query posed to someone
- やっかい
- yakkai — Troublesome; burdensome; nuisance; difficult matter
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; abstract matter or reason
- ここ
- koko — Here; this place; current location
- やっ
- yat(te) — Doing; performing (colloquial conjunctive form)
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun
- しつこく
- shitsukoku — Persistently; stubbornly; annoyingly insistently
- 困ら
- komara — To trouble; to cause difficulty (negative base)
- せ
- se — Causative ending; to make or let do
- 続ける
- tsuzukeru — To continue; to keep doing something
- くらい
- kurai — About; approximately; to the extent of
- なら
- nara — If; in that case; conditional particle
- 今
- ima — Now; currently; at this moment
- すっきり
- sukkiri — Refreshingly clear; neatly; feeling relieved
- 追い払っ
- oiharatt(e) — To drive away; to chase off; expel
- 方
- hou — Direction; side; option; way of doing
- それ
- sore — That; that thing; referring to something nearby
- 鋭く
- surudoku — Sharply; keenly; acutely (adverbial form)
- 見張り
- mihari — Watch; lookout; keeping guard over something
- 続け
- tsuzuke — Continue; keep going (conjunctive/command form)
- なけれ
- nakere — Must; conditional negative auxiliary base
- ば
- ba — If; conditional particle attached to verbs
- 者
- mono — Person; one who does; individual
- なぜ
- naze — Why; for what reason
- 知っ
- shit(te) — Knowing; to know (conjunctive form)
- おく
- oku — To do in advance; to leave as is
- べき
- beki — Should; ought to; expressing obligation
- もし
- moshi — If; supposing; in case that
- 完全
- kanzen — Complete; perfect; total; absolute
- じっと
- jitto — Staring fixedly; staying still; motionlessly
- 馬鹿げ
- bakage — Absurd; foolish; ridiculous; nonsensical
- 約束
- yakusoku — Promise; agreement; commitment made between people
- 話
- hanashi — Story; talk; conversation; account
- 聞か
- kika — To listen; to hear (negative/conjunctive base)
- あげ
- age — To give; to do a favor for someone
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course; certainly; naturally; needless to say
- 快適
- kaiteki — Comfortable; pleasant; agreeable environment
- 腰
- koshi — Waist; lower back; hips
- 落ち着け
- ochitsuke — Calm down; settle down; make yourself comfortable
- 聞く
- kiku — To listen; to hear; to ask
- 準備
- junbi — Preparation; readiness; getting things ready
- これ
- kore — This; this thing; referring to nearby object
- 語っ
- katatt(e) — Narrating; telling a story (conjunctive form)
- ずっと
- zutto — All along; continuously; much more; far
- 昔
- mukashi — Long ago; old times; the past
- 世界
- sekai — World; the earth; all of existence
- まだ
- mada — Still; yet; not yet; even now
- 若かっ
- wakakat(ta) — Was young; younger (past form of wakai)
- ころ
- koro — Around the time; about; approximate period
- 年老い
- toshioi — Aged; elderly; to grow old
- ミスター
- misutaa — Mister; Mr.; honorific for a man
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